Is it all going down the tubes?
HAVE OF
Just to begin my little page of tirades, I’m going to open with a paragraph gently echoing the irony of my Title and the things that I get grumpy about sometimes (I’m well balanced, really). I’ve just been reading the BBC’s online Football page and there are the usual blogs for comment. There’s some numpty making comment and writing ‘hull might of looked dead a(nd) buried last may’ MIGHT OF? MIGHT OF. For crap’s sake, the standard of English! Whatever you might feel needs condensing for snappiness’ sake or being cool, this is one that twists my spindle well ‘ard. I once dictated a letter and back came the paper with ‘should of’ in the sentence – it was an official letter as well. This is a few years ago mind, and the lady typist (well, yes, many years ago) was in her forties, very well spoken and proper, seemingly intelligent and when I sent it back for correction, she still didn’t get what it should’ve been. Should have, obviously, (I’m writing conversational English here but this was an official letter and you’d‘ve thought the sharp-tongued tart would’ve known better). But it’s spreading all over the place, with any half-thicko believing this is not only acceptable but correct.
THE BROWN HEART
I can’t believe some of the things Gordon Brown does. He’s the Prime Minister of this country and feels he has to take up Parliamentary time to comment when some poor boy is stabbed to death – I’m a parent, our hearts go out etc. He doesn’t know the boy or the family from Adam. Is he trying to show that he is a Good Man with a Heart? Recently it appears he writes to the family of every soldier killed on active service. Then, because the poor bloke has defective eyesight and constipated spider’s handwriting, he gets into an argument on the phone with the mother of one such soldier, who just happened to have the tape recorder going for heaven’s sake – no intention to create controversy or a newspaper story there then – lord, lord, what would he do if there was a full scale war with hundreds dead every week? Did Anthony Eden or The Thatcher make personal contact like that (don’t know the answer to the Harridan but I’m sure with Eden it was a standard telegram or letter from the MOD) and why is it now imperative that the top man in Government has to be so personal? Does he feel he needs to improve his image? Man of the people? For goodness’ sake, he’s making such a mash of the job he’s supposed to be concentrating on without stretching credibility to feeling the pain of everyone.
Do you think John Major started it with his wish to distance himself from the iron-cased hearts of his predecessor and her crew? Did Blair carry this on until he blew it with his ‘I’m a committed Christian but let’s obliterate Iraq’ or is Brown just a wind-wazzer?
More grumps later, as life progresses (is that the right word? ) Oh steady, keep some for next time.
November 28, 2009 at 7:14 pm |
sign of the times if Brown says nowt he is a humourless nerk, if he says something hee is accused of dumbing down.
i can’t get bothered about punctuation and language. I’m with Stephen Fry on this one.
November 30, 2009 at 9:52 pm |
I’m with you on the “have of”,”might of” anti brigade !
Must be the teacher in me! Think I am -actually in reality- a pedant!
There is an expression, that escapes me at the moment, which drives me to drink! When I hear it again,I will note it down and report back.
November 30, 2009 at 10:11 pm |
Oh what a wonderful first blog. I look forward to many more :d
I have to agree with the “should of” – drives me mad!! I have to admit to being an apostrophe oddball as well.
As for Brown – he wants to come across as cute and cuddly – he’ll be kissing babies next. But he’s on a hiding to nothing really.
February 25, 2010 at 6:04 pm |
Was not elected as the leader of the party, is that not correct? Inherited the role — admittedly in part because there was no challenge when Blair retired?